csbabich

My Feedback: (2)

Hi all,

I'm getting back into RCafter being out if it for about 30 years (yes, I'm old) and would like to know if the Futaba 6EXis a good choice for a radio.

I plan on eventually moving up from the trainer I just purchased - a Sig Kadet Mark II - to an intermediate plane like a Somethin' Extra, and eventually into somthing along the lines of the GPExtra 300S.

Iwant a radio that will work, and work well, with airplanes such as those. Ihave no interest in buying multiple radios as Imove up in skill level - assuming Ido, in fact, move up in skill level...

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Have no fear, I'm old too

If you've been gon for 30 myears, you'll LOVE the 6EX. I have one which I use regularly. If it's a new one you're looking at, be sure to get the 2.4GHz version.

If you're not familiar with the new 2.4GHz technology, it's the best thing this hobby has ever seen - No need for frequency pins anymore. Just turn on your radio and fly!

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

Welcome back from another old-timer. What some call old is just "mature"...

When it comes to radio systems, you will find that there is quite a following for just about every brand of radio, some very fierce followings.

Many of us recommend that you get the best radio that you can afford. Just keep in mind that there are more systems available than Futaba. Hitec, Airtronics, Spektrum/JR and some others provide very fine systems at very competetive prices.

I own two Spektrums, one DX6i and one DX7. I also own two Airtronics. I've owned and used Futaba also. My preference, at this time, is Spektrum or Airtronics. Spektrum is provided to us by Horizon (and other retail providers) and Futaba/Airtronics/Hitec you can see at Tower Hobbies. Check out the Airtronics RDS8000 as well as the Hitec Aurora. Very nice systems.

Again, welcome back and best of luck with your adventures.

CGr.

csbabich

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for the replies so far.

Out of curiosity, why would one need more that one radio? As far as I can tell, these radios are programmable for multiple models (6 in the case of the 6EX)....

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

You don't NEED more than one, but it's always nice to have a back-up. I always think of the time my brother had all of his planes on one radio and then left his transmitter at the field one day and it got rained on. Took over a month to get back from repair!

Personally, I have about 10 radios of several brands, but I mostly use my 6EX and my 10C (which is also Futaba)

csbabich

My Feedback: (2)

Yeah, and knowing me and how obsessed Ibecome with gear and gadgets, I'll probably end up with several, too.

But I will tell my wife that I only need 1.....







....for now......

jester_s1

You've chosen a good radio, especially for getting started. Depending on how fancy you want to go with the Extra 300, you might find yourself at that point wanting something more at that point though. By fancy I mean mixes and multiple rates to make every maneuver just right. If that's the plan, the 8 channel Futaba (8FG I think?) or the Hitec Aurora 9 or Airtronics SD10 will serve you better. But if you plan to just fly it, the 6 channel radio will be just fine.

csbabich

My Feedback: (2)

Excuse my ignorance, but why would I need an 8 channel radio for the Extra?

levram1

My Feedback: (1)

Because you may need it for the next plane you get LOL

opjose

Or you WILL need it at some point....

Remember that on many planes you need multiple servos to drive control surfaces, some of which operate in different directions.

Say you have a plane driven by two elevator servos.... unless you obtain matched forward and reversed servos, you normally have to purchase a $60.00+ device to reverse and match one or more servos ( no those cheapie servo reversers are a POS ).... Do that a few times and you'll be wishing you had purchased that 8 channel ( or more ) TX which could do the work of the reverser for you... ( you allocate a separate channel for the other servo then pair the two channels ).

Also the higher channel count TX's have a bunch of other features you'll wish you had opted for in time.

Things like automatic timers, digital trims, 30+ model memory, etc.

You can spend a bit more now and upgrade to a TX that will serve you for the forseeable future, or you can save the money, and end up buying another TX further down the road.... the latter will end up costing you more overall...

IMHO it's worth the initial expense to get something good now, that will satisfy future needs, be sellable if you ever choose to do so, and service you during all the time you are involved in RC.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Not ignorance, there are just some people who can't fly a 4-channel plane without at least 12 channels

Like you, I'm an old-schooler and I find that I would much rather make mechanical adjustments than program my computer radio to make the adjustments for me. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just all in how individuals choose to do things.

csbabich

My Feedback: (2)

Ithought with the Extra 300s - if and when I get that far - Iwould need 1 channel for throttle, 1 channel for rudder, 2 channels for ailerons and2 channels for elevator - max.

Is the 6EXnot capable of doing that?

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Yes, it is.

Although personally, even in my 40% Extra 330 I only use 5 channels. The ailerons are on one and the elevators are only on two because there are two external servos and one has to be reversed - otherwise, they would be one a single channel as well.

opjose

FYI: Typical assignments on a Futaba 9c.

Servo setup:
Channel 1-right aileron
Channel 2-elevator ( or right elevator )
Channel 3-throttle
Channel 4-rudder
Channel 5-Blank ( or left elevator )
Channel 6-left aileron
Channel 7-left flap
Channel 8-right flap

-

The above provides for spoileron/flaperon mixing and mixing ailerons to flaps on some planes, for more 3D "authority".

Not enough channels for me though.... need one for the Choke Channel too at the least.... and another for lights if so equipped.

csbabich

My Feedback: (2)

Gotcha.

What if, hypothetically speaking of course, one has no desire for "3D" flying?

Then would a 6EXbe servicable?

csbabich

My Feedback: (2)

Great, thank you for the info.

Iread the 6EXmanual several times, and Ithought for a moment that my reading comprehension left me.

Thanks for confirming what I thought...

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I have to disagree with your use of the word "Typical"

This setup may be typical for SOME people, but a TYPICAL setup for a 4-channel plane is:

Channel 1-ailerons
Channel 2-elevator
Channel 3-throttle
Channel 4-rudder
Channel 5-Blank
Channel 6-Blank

As I said before, some people would rather spend their time programming radios and flipping switches while others would prefer to just fly their planes. In the past few years radios have gotten more sophisticated, and some people just can't live without their bells and whistles, but if you are coming back from a 30 year hiatus, I would tend to think that you have little need for them right now.

Should you decide a few years down the road that you WOULD like some of the fancier stuff, you could get a bigger radio then - and then you'll have the latest and greatest instead of two-year-old technology.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

I've got to agree with Minnflyer here. I've been flying for a long time and until I started doing reviews I never needed more than 6 channels on any plane I ever flew. And even now that I rarely use more than 5 channels on any setup for my sport flyers. Yes, you CAN setup a plane with a ton of channels as mentioned above, but it's not always needed. In addition, this is the Beginner's Forum and the answers need to be kept in context with the forum and it's intended target. It's going to be rare that a beginner will be setting up a large scale gasser. Yes, you can mention that a higher channel count radio may be needed down the road if they move to bigger planes, that's about all that needs to be done in this forum. 

opjose

"Typical" came right from Futaba.... I was just quoting their site.

I don't think he is trying to set up a beginner's plane...

He's dealing with an Extra 300 after all and already is inquiring about dual elevator mixes... next comes spoilerons/flaperons and other planes.... 6CH will barely be enough to start with given that and a few more dollars spent will save him a bunch on other peripherals.


He's already out of the 4 Channel league with such a plane anyway.

csbabich

My Feedback: (2)

Thank you, but I've already been to their site. Icame here to ask people who have had experience with RCaircraft, not read the sales pitch off of a website.

Yes Iam....a Kadet Mark II

I'm not dealing with a Extra 300. Imay be dealing with a Extra 300 in the future.

Please explain why a 6Ch will "barely be enough". If said 6CH can handle dual servos for both ailerons and elevators, why would it "barely be enough"?


Where did I say I was considering a 4 CHradio?

opjose

Which is exactly what you got.

Having additional channels will serve you well.

I was given the same advice here when I started out, and I regret not having headed it.... I purchased a 6channel and regret doing so.

I SHOULD have spent the extra $100.00 or so on a radio I would still be using to this day.




See the "typical assignments" post I put up previously.

6Ch radios are often lacking those things you'll regret having later, e.g. trimmable mixes, digital trims, etc... which you will be getting into with the Extra in no time.

High channel radios provide more than just an increased number of channels, so looking at it from a pure channel count perspective is somewhat counter-productive. There is a lot more there under the hood that will end up paying for itself and making life easier for you.

Where did I say I was considering a 4 CH radio?

[/quote]

You didn't, RCKen and MinnFlyer did when I discussed multi-channel TX's....

rlipsett

no one here has mentioned retracts for a channel usage which is very possible for a small plane or warbird. I outgrew my 6ex in 6 months because I needed to have dual rates on more then just the aileron and elevator on my new planes. I needed to dual rate the rudder also. the old 7c futaba had the problem of not enough computer mixes like the 6 but the newer 7c 2.4 is better. Sometimes it is hard to know where you will end up in this hobby. You say you will never 3d but will you fly war birds with flaps ailerons, maybe on-board glow starter, retracts, landing lights, bomb release, simulated machine gun fire, or if a gasser you might want control of the choke. I know I started getting over the top after bomb release. some of the best computer mixing I ever had was on my futaba 9c for training new pilots. I had the spectra synthesized module. You could give a student limited control of an aircraft and still retain other control for yourself while the buddy is controlling other channels. ex you retain control of throttle and rudder and give the student elevator and aileron. and of course more model memory, I have 13 flyers, I'm a hard core addicts I won't apologize for my lack of will power

fred985

who needs all that stuff to just fly ? i fly everything from park flyers to 1/4 scale with a $100.00 tactic radio. whats wrong with a y harness for dual servos ? i use 2 standard servos in a row for heavy stuff. the only crashes have been due to pilot stupidety. my 1/4 sig cub has stock type airilons and full flaps . and i still have an open channel. stanard cheap servos run the flaps and everything else except 2 for the elavator. the old us engine runs without a battery. maybe i shoud convert to retracts just to use the sixth channel ?????

Mikecam

Call me on it if I'm wrong but I chose the Futaba 7C because it had a timer and the 6EX did not. Very nice to have a timer set to your throttle and have it reset every time you turn the radio off and back on or change models. After a year I bought a Futaba 10C, I like to have each servo to have it's own channel, much easier for set up and also each servo gets it's own power source. The better radio's also have more programming in it and that is nice even if you never use all the channels.

If your going to stay with simple 4 channel planes and never expand then get the 6EX, if you think this hobby is for you and you will progress into bigger and slightly more complicated models then THINK about putting a little more into your radio choice. That in a nutshell is what all the posters are trying to tell you. Either way you can always sell it after a year if it turns out you made a mistake and recoup some of your initial investment.

Many, many of us have upgraded their radio's one or two years after buying a simple entry level radio. Why, because we have become completely addicted to this great hobby. Welcome back and good luck.

quiltsfly

where in AZ are you, give me a call if you are close to San Tan Valley or Queen Creek, I have some transmitters you might want to see.

Barry
602-481-1758